Latinos Unidos of Iowa awarded scholarships to two Central College students during Unlocking Your Future, the 2024 academic scholarship awards ceremony and dinner. Óscar Reynaga, Central senior lecturer of Spanish and class dean for the Class of 2027, volunteers with Latinos Unidos of Iowa. He presented scholarship awards to students in attendance.
Jenna-Marie Hernandez graduated from Central in May 2024 with biochemistry and biology majors and a minor in Spanish. She grew up in Slater, Iowa. Hernandez is a first-year dental student at the University of Iowa Dental College, Iowa City, Iowa.
Noemi Vega, Class of 2025, is a sociology and communication studies major from Osceola, Iowa. Vega is a first-generation student at Central.
Central is one of the few colleges and universities that established matching scholarship funds. This program doubles a student’s scholarship awarded by Latinos Unidos of Iowa for the academic year.
“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Central College for its generous support of our Latinx students and for the incredible work that Latinos Unidos of Iowa does to uplift Latinx communities throughout the state,” Reynaga says. “This generosity allows us to address the educational access needs of Iowa’s growing Latinx student population. Each year, we have the privilege of reviewing over 100 applications from an exceptional group of students who are eager to pursue their dreams in associate, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programs. It is truly humbling to be a small part of their educational journeys.”
Reynaga currently serves as a Latinos Unidos of Iowa board member and has served as one of the scholarship judges for the past 15 years.
Latinos Unidos of Iowa is a nonprofit organization with the goal of generating leadership and unity within Latin and Hispanic organizations in Iowa. Its focus is to promote educational opportunities for students so they can obtain the knowledge needed to succeed.
Photo caption: Attendees at the 2024 Latinos Unidos of Iowa Scholarship dinner from Central College are, from left: Paulina Mena, professor of biology, Noemi Vega, Class of 2025, Jenna-Marie Hernandez, Class of 2024, and Oscar Reynaga, senior lecturer of Spanish.